Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Ransom

1.The disciples argue about who among them is the greatest — right after Jesus predicts his own death for the second time. Keller notes the dark irony: Jesus is moving toward self-emptying sacrifice while his closest followers compete for status. What does this tell us about the depth of the change the gospel needs to make in us, and how long that change can take?

2.Jesus places a child in the disciples' midst and says whoever welcomes a child welcomes him. In the ancient world, children had no social status. What is Jesus doing by elevating the child as a model of kingdom greatness? How does this subvert every natural human hierarchy?

3.A rich young man comes running to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists the commandments, and the man says he has kept them all. Then Jesus tells him to sell everything and give to the poor. The man goes away sad. Keller argues that Jesus is not setting up poverty as a universal requirement, but rather identifying the specific idol in this man's heart. What is the significance of that distinction? How might Jesus diagnose your own particular "one thing"?